Korean carriers want to make the Galaxy Fold cheaper, Samsung disagrees

05 February 2020
The companies apparently feel a price cut is appropriate given the impending launch of the Galaxy Z Flip.

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Anonymous, 06 Feb 2020Samsung and china brands will do it first. And then sony wi... more"V" fold (Samsung Fold) is extremely expensive so they should quickly release the "Z" fold ( 3 layers folded) as soon as possible, so the "V" fold can reduce the price. Perhaps other OEM will skip the "V" fold and direct go to "Z" fold. 3:4 display ratio for a tablet isn't a good ratio, the better tablet display ratio is 16:9 when unfold, 21:9 ratio when fold up. The problem is they can't do the "Z" fold, even they can the price would higher than the "V" fold one.

    I thought the Fold and Z Flip are two completely different smartphone? There is literally no way you can make the Fold cheaper considering the tech Samsung had poured in. Even Huawei who only use the screen to fold outwards and only has three camera cost way more than the overly-complicated Samsung with super strong hinges and SIX camera. That must had cost Samsung a fortune to develop!

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • 81X
      • 06 Feb 2020

      On the one hand, discounts on their flagships typically fall within a similar timeframe. On the other, the economics of scale on a Fold are significantly lower than on the S series. That said, it wouldn't take much for Samsung to offer a discounted SKU without the Galaxy Buds included; not that different from the expiring 'free _ with purchase offers' that accompany their other flagship launches. As more competition arrives in the foldables space they are going to have to lower prices at some point.

        Clear indication the carriers are not shifting enough units of the Fold and want to bring down the price significantly to help move units faster.

        The Fold should be a bargain basement special pretty soon.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • Kxc
          • 06 Feb 2020

          Senseurheart Kimochi, 06 Feb 2020It could be waiting until the real "Z" fold smartphone then... moreSamsung and china brands will do it first. And then sony will follow it 5 years later.

            Only in Korea, more interesting will be samsungs response to others outside Korea doing precisely the same thing.
            Early adopters know they are paying a premium price,so why would they get annoyed at a later price cut, sounds more like Samsung just throwing its weight around in home market..

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              • AnonD-908380
              • nfy
              • 06 Feb 2020

              Zuzuz, 06 Feb 2020When i see all this comments i think that all of you are wo... moreLots of blind fanboys who can't criticize, and if someone does, they are haters...

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • vry
                • 06 Feb 2020

                What flies over the heads of these Samsung fans is that they're defending one of those companies that churn out smartphones like no tomorrow. They brought it to themselves. These phones will be abandoned on year 2 or 3 but that does not make Apple any better as their 5 year support is not all bells and whistles.

                Note 3 was a premium product of its time but last "security" update was in 2016 and last version was Lollipop with bright colors to burn out the amoled screen lmao. Or the Note 4 with dying motherboards past their warranty. No class action lawsuit lol.

                  • Z
                  • Zuzuz
                  • ajV
                  • 06 Feb 2020

                  When i see all this comments i think that all of you are working for Samsung. Instead of asking lower prices as custumers, you are happy that they are up. Stockholm syndrom?!!!

                    Samsung did the right thing. This certainly isn't the time for a move like that. and it certainly doesn't make sense to do it for Z flip's sake. Plus who knows when Fold 2 would be released (read, delayed like original)

                      I'mPhone, 06 Feb 2020Have to rather disagree in my opinion. Sammy makes Android ... morethe telcos are asking samsung to lower the price now- it's not even 6 months yet when it was made available in september 2019. you've said too much without realizing this. you cannot possibly compare the fold with the likes of gs7 nor note fe because this is the first of its kind. early adopters will have to pay premium indeed. again, i am not defending samsung as despite my nickname i now am using other brands (currently am using a pocophone f1 and asus rog phone 2). it is only proper for samsung to decline the price cut in deference to those early adopters.

                        It could be waiting until the real "Z" fold smartphone then the "V" fold smartphone will reduce the price.

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                          • I'mPhone
                          • Ki@
                          • 06 Feb 2020

                          Have to rather disagree in my opinion. Sammy makes Android phones. This is not Apple. Sammy devices only have a two-year-update policy. Most Android handsets depreciate considerably over time in comparison to Apple's. Sure, some telcos want to make money, they seem to be making a mistake. But I don't even think the Fold will last for a long time. All phones will slow down after years of usage. In a few years, buyers will switch phones anyway. Of course, Sammy does not want to disappoint buyers who bought the Fold at full price, but thinking Sammy seemingly forces buyers to upgrade their handset more often.

                          Going slightly off topic, if you think iPhones slow down after years of usage, that's tolerable, because Samsung is even worse in this matter. Most software updates are heavier over time. Try using a Samsung S7 Exynos (or Note FE) vs. iPhone 6s. I have tried the Note FE and iPhone devices in their latest firmware. The iPhone runs faster, may be it in daily use or demanding games. S7/Note FE can't even run PUBG Mobile smoothly at low graphics high framerate. This just means that you will have to swap Sammy handsets more often because of the performance drop. Security update is capped at 3 years, too.

                          In conclusion, just because of lacking software, I cannot agree Sammy's decision to retain the Fold at full price because of this. I don't really care what kind of features and tech Sammy puts in the Fold. Beautiful-looking it may be, but again, software can be a serious bottleneck later on. Unless Sammy wants to step up in software optimisation and support so users can retain their Fold for a longer time.

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                            • Zuzuz
                            • ajV
                            • 06 Feb 2020

                            Samsung protects nobody, just their profits. Costumers who allready bought this phone have decided that this phone is worth the money for the specs received. Nu the way, is not stupid the one who asks, but the one who gives.

                              samsung is right, actually, as they are trying to protect those who bought the fold, while the telcos are simply wanting to get more money from sales. this only goes to show that samsung cares for its customers than its business partners and sales figures. i am not defending samsung. for those who know me here i actually have since jumped to other brands after years of being loyal to samsung.

                                Uh-huh! Devasting blow! Koreans are known to support Sammy more than any other manufacturer until now.

                                If this is happening in Sammy's own backyard, imagine what is happening around the world.

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                                  • AnonD-754814
                                  • uNV
                                  • 06 Feb 2020

                                  Agree with Samsung. Flip isn't a successor of the fold.
                                  Because it's completely different. Fold 2 is the successor of original fold.

                                    • L
                                    • Luxor
                                    • 70g
                                    • 06 Feb 2020

                                    Samsung kinda have a point. Early adopters will be mad if the price suddenly decrease a lot. It's not even the same model. The Flip is not Fold successor. The innard of Z Flip is more downgraded than the Fold.

                                      This post looks like a good script for the next VIKINGS episode :D